Khaleda slams govt for delay in arrest

All in tears, the son of Ibrahim, driver of Chandan Sarkar and one of the victims of Naryanganj seven-murder, talks about his father when the BNP chairperson met the family yesterday. Photo: Star

Condemning the government for not arresting three Rab officials even after a High Court order, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said all the mystery behind the gruesome seven-murder in Narayanganj would be revealed if they were held. “But the government's dilly-dallying over arresting them [Rab men] proves that it is patronising the killers,” she told newsmen after visiting the homes of Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Sarker. The two were among the seven who were abducted on April 27 from Narayanganj city and later killed. The BNP chief claimed that the Rapid Action Battalion had spirited Nur Hossain, the prime accused in the seven-murder case, out of the country. “We've come to know that the Rab helped Nur Hossain flee the country abroad. But how could they [Rab] do so? From where do they get so much power?… They kill people, make people disappear forcibly and help criminals flee the country. We don't need such a killer and blood-sucking force,” mentioned Khaleda. The former prime minister demanded that the perpetrators, including the three Rab officials, of the incident be arrested immediately. Earlier at 11:10am, Khaleda left her Gulshan residence for Nazrul's home at Shiddhirganj in Narayanganj. After staying there for about 40 minutes, she went to Chandan Sarker's home in Fatulla at 1:30pm. Apart from BNP leaders and activists, many people were seen standing on both sides of the road from Dhaka to Narayanganj, waving at Khaleda. Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at the two homes. The family members of the deceased burst into tears in the presence of the former prime minister. Khaleda Zia noted that it was not seven, but 11 people who were killed in the Narayanganj incident. “The rest of the victims were boatmen…. The boatmen are also human beings, but they are not in the limelight as they are poor,” she added. Overcome by emotion, Khaleda told Chandan's wife that she herself had also lost her husband. “Therefore, I know the pain and agony of losing a husband. You might not get him back, but you will get some solace if the killers are tried.” The “illegal regime” of Sheikh Hasina has failed to ensure the security of people, complained Khaleda. She urged the prime minister to quit right away by shouldering the responsibility for all the incidents of forced disappearances and killings, including the seven murders in Narayanganj. Sheikh Hasina has been holding the home portfolio and so she just cannot avoid responsibility for the killings and abductions across the country, said the BNP chairperson.

The Rab-11 chief, said Khaleda, considered himself to be a very powerful person as he is the son-in-law of a minister. She warned the government that the people of Narayanganj and elsewhere in the country would take to the streets if the murderers were not handed the highest punishment. The victims' family members said they want justice for the murders through exemplary punishment to all those involved in the crime.